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“The alpha is dead and last I saw, he wasn’t happy with you.” His gaze turned to Tamaska. “After all, you mated with a human. You’re wanting to bond with a human. You brought that stinking human and her vampires here. You don’t deserve the title of alpha.”
“Kodiak…,” her whisper was low. “I’ll leave.”
“No.” He turned his hard gaze on Shota. “Tensions are high. We’ve suffered terrible loss, so you get a pass. But, Tamaska is a guest. And I’m your alpha. Treat me as such.”
“You’ve not been sworn in as the alpha,” responded Shota. His eyes were dark, his shoulders square and chin high.
“Shota, what are you doing?” Onai said. “Olcan not only marked Kodiak to be the next alpha, but Olcan explicitly said Kodiak would be his pick tonight.”
“He did what?” Kodiak stared at Onai. He knew he was beta, meant to be alpha unless Olcan died before officially naming him, and it could be challenged.
And considering how angry the alpha had been at his bringing in Tamaska…
Or was it anger? Maybe it had all been a test. When he’d thought in the past Olcan was protective of his position, hanging on too long, goading him and seemingly looking for ways to get rid of him, could that have been Olcan’s way of seeing how he handled things?
Onai met his gaze, clearly picking up his thoughts. “Exactly. I’m never gonna be in the running for alpha or beta and don’t want to be, and with others pushing for it…Olcan talked to me. And he needed to test you and everyone because changes were coming.”
“Bullshit.” Shota spat on the ground.
Onai ignored him. “He said you were the future of this pack, a true leader, Kodiak. He said an alpha isn’t just the strongest, but the smartest, and a leader. Someone who knows their weaknesses and strengths, who takes the hardest paths when they must. And he said you were different. The old and the new.”
“But we didn’t see eye to eye.” He rubbed a hand over his chest.
“I know,” Onai said. “It drove him insane, but he liked it. He said it was a needed quality. You never boot licked; you pushed even when falling into line. He wanted us all to survive and change with the times.”
“I call bullshit,” said Shota, spitting again. “That’s bullshit. Tradition is the way forward. Letting the times change got Olcan dead. Letting filthy humans in got him dead along with a bunch of us.”
“Shota.” Kodiak narrowed his eyes.
But the man wasn’t showing signs of stopping. “They’re dead. Big, strong shifters, and this puny human lives? How? She in with the vampires?”
Tamaska folded her arms. “No, I’m not! They want me for a ceremony and—”
“You brought in a vampire lover. And right now, we don’t have an alpha.” Shota shook his head.
Kodiak’s stomach tightened. He knew what was coming. There’d been too much violence and death tonight, but Shota always wanted more and tonight, he was fully out of his restraints.
It made him dangerous.
It put him in danger because Kodiak knew what was coming next.
“Shota,” Fern said, trying to grab hold of him. “Stop, please.”
But the shifter wasn’t having it, and he pushed her pard, sending her sprawling.
Kodiak narrowed his eyes into slits as he pulled off his T-shirt.
“Fuck. Shota, you maniac. What’s wrong with you?” Skoll grabbed him and shook him. “You got some kind of fucking death wish? Get out of here, now.”
“No.”
Everyone looked at Kodiak and his soft word.
“Clearly he’s got something to say, so maybe he should say it. Let him speak,” he said.
“I challenge you for the position,” Shota said and grinned.
Kodiak wanted to attack him right now. But he stayed still. “You couldn’t even wait for their bodies to cool? You would put the safety of the pack at risk just to become their leader? You disgust me.”
